Movin’ On Up
29 05 2006For the first time in almost five years, I’m living above ground again. Simone and I moved in together with the help of several good friends. We had to turn a number of people away from helping in fear of having too many hands. Problems with my two biggest worries, moving the sofabed and the timeline, were averted with clever planning and some help from a guardian angel.
Mom & Dad came to help too, and it was good to have some fresh workers later in the day. Simone’s family came to visit on Sunday afternoon, even though we had only barely sorted things out enough to make room for an impromptu picnic. For the moment, we have the furniture in the bedroom, living space and much of the kitchen sorted out. This is probably the longest I’ve gone since my first 486 without hooking up my computer in my new place. We rewarded ourselves with dinner with Pete and Cecelia at Jekyl and Hyde - a pub at Bloor and Dundas.
As for my first day going to work, the best way to describe it is from an email I got this morning from John:
Maybe Alanis will write a new verse for you.
“Moved downtown so I wouldn’t have to drive.
The very next day, A TTC strike”
The TTC maintenance workers went on strike this morning, and the drivers wouldn’t cross the picketline. As a result, there’s a complete shutdown of TTC services today without any warning. This is not the way to get the public support behind your cause. I’m still upset with the TTC for making me pay twice on the transfer from the Ex’s underground streetcar to the subway, and this isn’t helping them.
Luckily Simone and I found out (largely due to an early call from Simone’s mom warning us) and we could just drive to work. We left early, so it didn’t take very long, but it still costs me gas and milage on my car. I’m not very happy about it. Getting on the elevator to go down to the car, I told Simone:
“That’s it. Next time I get off the bus, I’m not going to say ‘Thank you’ or ‘Have a good day’.”
Simone said, “well, I’ll say ‘thank you’, but I won’t be very sincere about it.”
“…Gawd we’re Canadian.”
“Resultingly”?
don’t take this the wrong way… but… the point of the strike was not the get the publics attention, it was more so for the managers and all the upper management/execs/boss’ etc.
i’ve been taking transit for so long that i can sympathise with them.
(bash me if you must)
I did not mention the issues in contention, that’s not where my problem is. My concern is with the utter disregard for Torontonians in shutting down the TTC without notice. Twenty-four, or even twelve hours of notice would have made a big difference for hundreds of thousands of people.
“Resultingly”, I feel no sympathy for the maintenence workers’ needs. They clearly don’t care about ours.